


The Stranger

by AGJ1990



Series: Evelyn Winchester [55]
Category: Supernatural
Genre: John Winchester's A+ Parenting, John actually changes, John told off, john back from the dead
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-17
Updated: 2018-03-17
Packaged: 2019-04-03 20:21:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 13,648
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14003979
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AGJ1990/pseuds/AGJ1990
Summary: John comes back into the lives of his three adult children. Can they make it work?





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> The characters of Supernatural do not belong to me. The original character of Evelyn Winchester does.

What should have been a trip of only a few hours at most had turned into the better part of a day. Evy had gotten stuck behind not one, but two accidents on her way to Jody’s, and she was more than ready to get out of the car. She got her things together, made sure she had her spare keys to Jody’s house, then walked inside. No one was home, so she put her bag on the bed and went to lay down on the couch and watch some TV. She quickly shot a text to Sam and Dean that she was at Jody’s, then put the phone on vibrate and laid it down on the floor next to her.

Before long, TV got boring, so Evy went into the kitchen to figure out what to make for dinner. Jody sent a text that she was getting off in thirty minutes and would be home in forty-five. Evy told her to take her time and not worry about dinner. Evy was already feeling more relaxed. She was on a girl’s weekend with Jody, Alex, and Claire, and was ready for it to start. A knock at the door a few minutes later took her attention away from the pasta on the stove. Evy ignored it. It wasn’t her house, and if whoever it was wanted Jody, they could just wait for her. Evy drained the pasta and started on the sauce.

The man on the front steps waited. He was a stranger to the people passing by on the street, but he didn’t look dangerous to them, so no one gave him a second thought. His heart was slamming inside his chest. No matter who answered the door, he was in for a confrontation. It had been years since he’d seen Evy, and he wasn’t sure how she was going to react. He had one week to spend with her, with Sam, and with Dean. But he couldn’t tell them that. If he did, he would die. Right away. For the second time. The stranger finally grabbed Jody’s doorknob, prepared to go inside, when he felt the barrel of a gun at the back of his head.

“One more step and you’re dead.”

The stranger held up his hands in surrender. “I’m not here to hurt anyone.” “Well, considering you’re about to break into my house, I’d say you’re either here to do exactly that, or you’re stupid enough to think that you actually think you’d get away with it.”

“I’m here to see Evy.” The stranger said. “Walk around to the side of the house. We’ll talk about whether or not you can see her.” Jody said. When he didn’t move, Jody said, “I can tell you don’t really know Evy, so you might want to move.”

“What makes you say that?” The stranger asked.

“Because if you had broken into my house with her here, I’d be picking pieces of you up off the floor.” Jody said. “Start walking.”

            As Jody was questioning the stranger around the side of the house, Evy was finishing up the pot of spaghetti she’d made. She’d started some garlic bread, and was planning to make some salad. She heard some chatting around the side of the house, and had seen Jody’s truck in the driveway. She figured Jody was handling some Sheriff’s Office business, so she waited a few more minutes. Once the salad was made and on the table, Evy started to head outside, only to be met before getting to the front door by Jody.

“Hey.” Evy said. “Right on time. I just finished dinner.”

“Hey.” Jody said.

Evy stopped dead. “What’s wrong?”

Jody ran a hand over her mouth. “I, um, have something to tell you. And I’m not quite sure how to say it.”

“Look, if you or Alex have to work or something this weekend, it’s not a big deal. I can hang out with Claire…” Evy said.

“No. No, it’s not that.” Jody said. “Listen, there’s a guy outside that wants to see you.” “A guy? Who is it?”

“Before I let him in, I want you to know, I already did all the checks.” Jody said. “He’s not a zombie, a ghost, a vampire, none of that. Okay?”

“Jody, you’re scaring me. And that’s saying a lot. What’s going on?” Evy said.

“He says his name is John Winchester.”

Evy shook her head. “No. There’s no way.”

“I know. I told him the same thing. But like I said, I checked everything. He’s human. And he looks just like the photos you’ve showed me.” Jody said. “Honey, I think it’s him.”

“Jody, I have had some messed up crap happen to me before. But this…” Evy couldn’t keep talking because it was suddenly hard to breathe.

Jody grabbed Evy’s shoulders to try and calm her down. “Listen to me. Okay? Just listen. I know. I know you’re worried, and I know you’re wondering what the hell is going on right now. I am too. I already called your brothers…” “You didn’t tell them, did you?” Evy asked.

“All I told them was to get their asses in gear and get here yesterday.” Jody assured her. “But it’s still going to be a few hours before they get here. Right now, you and I are going to let this guy in and talk to him. Okay?”

“Jody…” Evy could barely do more than whisper; she was close to a panic attack.

“Honey, listen to me. You have to stay calm. I’m right here, and I’m not going anywhere. Sam and Dean will be here soon. Let’s bring this guy in, and we’ll try to figure out what’s going on.” Jody said.

Even though she was shaking, Evy nodded. “Okay. Let him in.”

Jody patted Evy’s cheek and assured her, “It’ll be okay.”

            Evy nodded and watched Jody go to the door. The seconds seemed to stretch into hours as she watched the door open. In the doorway, looking almost exactly as Evy remembered him, was an alive and well John Winchester. He was still taller than she was, although now by only a few inches instead of almost an entire foot as he had been the last time they’d been together. Evy’s eyes filled with tears, both of joy and pain.

“Daddy?” she asked, voice barely above a whisper.

John smiled, something that Evy noticed seemed to take five years off his face instantly. “Hey, little one. Yeah, it’s me. I’m back.”


	2. Friday Afternoon and Friday Night

“Yeah, little one, it’s me. I’m back.”

            Evy had fought demons, werewolves, ghosts, ghouls, everything under the sun, but right now she was terrified. How was he back? Sure, she’d seen Sam and Dean come back. She knew it was possible. But why her father? And why after so long? Jody grabbed her shoulder when Eyv said nothing for close to a full minute.

“Say something, kiddo.”

John took a step closer, but when Evy stepped back, he stopped. “Look, little one, I know it’s a shock.”   
“That’s an understatement.” Evy said.

“But it really is me. I’m back.” John said.

“How?” Evy asked. “You’ve been gone so long.”   
“That’s a long story.” John said.

“We’ve got time.” Evy insisted.

John sighed; he’d forgotten how stubborn Evy could be. “I can’t tell you.”

“Why not?” This time it was Jody.

“I just can’t.” John said. “Please believe me. I just can’t tell you.”

Evy didn’t know whether or not to truly believe him. It wouldn’t be the first time that John had lied to her. She felt again like a little girl, withering under her father’s stern gaze for some childish thing that she’d done, rather than a fully grown adult capable of making her own choices. But the John in front of her seemed different. He seemed kinder, softer, more compassionate than she remembered. Like he wanted to see her. Wanted to hold her. That thought nearly made Evy start crying again. She’d spent her whole childhood feeling like her daddy didn’t want her, and that feeling had never really gone away, even into her adulthood long after John had died.

“Daddy?” she asked, her first tears starting to fall.

John nodded, and Evy saw that he was starting to cry too. “I’m here, little one.”

            Evy finally grabbed John around the waist, and John wrapped her in a hug unlike any that he’d ever given her. Their relationship had been rocky at best as Evy was growing up. John had wondered if she’d even want to see him after so long, but apparently she did. Evy seemed to still have the same forgiving nature she’d had as a child.

“I missed you, Daddy.”

“I missed you too.” John said. “I missed you so much, little one.”

Evy’s stomach rumbled. She hadn’t eaten since early that morning. The oven beeped; the garlic bread was ready. Jody went to the kitchen and pulled it out for Evy. When she came back into the hallway, Evy still had John in a tight hug. Jody grabbed her shoulder again, but this time she was much more relaxed.

“We’re all hungry, kiddo. Why don’t we eat some dinner?”

Evy shook her head and squeezed John a little tighter. She didn’t want to let him go. John laughed, and Evy could feel his laugh deep inside his chest. It was a sound she had so rarely heard before that it was music to her ears.

“I’m not going anywhere. But I am hungry. And I think you are too.”

Evy pulled away from him and wiped her eyes. She sheepishly admitted, “I’m afraid if I let you go, you’ll be gone again.”

John put one hand behind her head and pulled her to him gently, kissing her forehead. “I’m not going anywhere.” He said again. “I swear. Let’s eat some dinner.”

Evy nodded. “Okay, daddy.”  
“She made it, you know.” Jody said. “She’s turned into quite the cook.”

“Really?” John said. “I can’t wait to taste it. I’m used to diner food.”

            Five hours later, Sam and Dean were pulling into Jody’s driveway. Evy saw the Impala’s headlights and quickly headed out to meet them. She didn’t want them opening the door and finding John there, then whipping out a knife or a gun like Evy’s first instinct had been. Dean stopped the car and got out, Sam following on his heels.

“Are you okay?” They both asked at virtually the same time.

“I’m fine.” Evy said. “Jody’s fine too.”   
“Then what’s with the 911 page?” Dean asked.

“You guys wouldn’t believe me if I told you.” Evy said. “Come with me.”

“Cricket, what’s going on?” Sam asked.   
“I’ll show you. I promise. Just come with me.” Sam and Dean followed her to the front door. Evy had a thought, and turned to them before she opened the door. “Both of you give me your guns.”   
“What?” Sam said. “Why?”

“Because I don’t want you shooting the person you came to see.” Evy said. “Come on. Hand ‘em over.”

            The request was so bizarre that Sam and Dean just complied. They handed her their guns to her and followed her inside. Evy stood between them and Jody’s couch. Dean started to ask again what was going on, when he spotted John sitting on the couch next to Jody. Sam had already seen him and had stopped cold. John stood up and greeted them both.

“Hi, boys.”   
“Who the hell are you?” Dean asked immediately.

“Dean, I’m your father.” John said.

“No.” Sam spoke up this time. “No, our father’s been dead for years. Now answer the question. Who are you?”

John sighed; he’d figured it would go harder with Sam and Dean than with Evy.

“Sam. Dean. I’ve done all the checks. He’s human. Evy’s questioned him; his memory’s all there. He remembers everything he’s supposed to. Guys, he’s your dad.” Jody said.

“How?” Sam asked.   
“That’s a long story, Sam.” John said.

“We’ve got time.” Dean replied. “How are you back?”

“Deanie, I’ve already been through all that. He says he can’t tell us.” Evy said.

“Why the hell not?” Dean asked.

Some of John’s old authoritative nature came back. “Watch it, Dean…”

Sam’s old rebellious streak came back too. “Look, even if you are our dad, and I’m not saying you are, why should he?”

“Sam…”

“Enough!” Evy said. “We’re not going to start bickering. Sam, Dean, I don’t blame you for doubting him. But I don’t. It’s daddy. He’s back.”

            Neither Sam or Dean knew what to say. Evy could tell they wanted to say she was crazy, that there was no way the person standing in front of them was John. But she wasn’t crazy. And it was John. Both of them trusted that Jody and Evy had checked John’s claim. Dean was the first to speak.

“Dad?” he said.

“Yeah, Dean. I’m back, son.”

            Dean embraced him first. Sam seemed hesitant. The last time he’d seen John in person, they’d been bickering. That had been just a few minutes before finding John dead on the floor. Sam had regretted it every day since. Still holding on to Dean, John extended a hand to Sam.

“I missed you, Sammy.”

Sam smiled. “You too, Dad.”

When the group hug was over, they were back to an uncomfortable silence. “So, where do you guys live?” John asked.

“Um…” Dean said. “Kansas.”

“Let’s hit the road.” John said. “I’d love to see it.”

Sam and Dean both agreed, but Evy shook her head. “Guys, I can’t ride again. Not today.” She was pointing to the back of her calf, a signal that her years-old leg injury was aching.

“Right. Sorry, Cricket.” Sam said. “Do you need anything?”

“No. I just can’t get in the car again.” Evy insisted. “That might make it worse.”

“Why don’t you all stay here?” Jody suggested.

“I wouldn’t want to impose on you…” John said.

“These three are here all the time. And my two girls should be back any minute. One more won’t make a difference.” Jody insisted.

            The truth was that Jody wasn’t completely sure she could trust John. Sam had talked to her a little about what he’d been like when he was alive, and she’d already seen signs of him slipping back into his old critical ways while they’d eaten dinner. He’d noticed that Evy was limping a little, and had very directly asked her what was wrong. Evy had blushed, and Jody explained she had a leg injury from years earlier that she didn’t like to talk about. Jody could forgive him being ignorant of the injury, but what happened next had bothered her. She’d wanted him to say it was okay, that she could talk about it whenever she was ready, but that didn’t happen.

“She’s my daughter and I think I need to hear about it.”

Jody had been quick to respond. “Well, this is my house, my town, and Evy’s an adult, so if she doesn’t want to talk about it she doesn’t have to. Got it?”

“Yes, ma’am.” John had replied, though he clearly hadn’t been happy about it.

The breaking point had come later in the meal, when John had made a comment about Evy talking with a piece of garlic bread in her mouth. The way he’d said it reminded Jody of the way she used to scold her son Owen. Except John’s voice when he reprimanded Evy held no patience, just criticism.

“Let me get one thing straight. You may be their father, but I’ve been the mother to these kids for seven years now. They have never disrespected me, and they won’t disrespect you, but you’re going to treat them the same way. Am I clear?”

            The rest of the meal had been a little more pleasant, Evy catching her dad up on some of the happier events of the time since he’d been gone. Jody had bragged on her as well, and it had been Jody to tell John she’d graduated with a Master’s degree, with honors, in just over three years. Evy seemed afraid to tell her dad that, but he’d gushed over her ever since.

“I’m so proud of you, little one!” John had exclaimed while grabbing her in another hug. “I always knew you’d do something great!”

            But that had been earlier, and Evy was eager to move on, so Jody did. They all sat in the living room and had a long discussion about some of the things that the three of them had done after John died. To her surprise, John stayed mostly silent. He listened, and he asked questions, but he didn’t make many remarks about what they’d done. Jody wondered if he was waiting for them to be in the Impala before saying anything. It was mostly Sam and Dean talking now, with Jody, Claire, Alex, and Evy contributing minor details here and there. Jody knew they were leaving things out, but she said nothing. If they wanted John to know, they’d tell him. Once they were done, John collected his thoughts.

“So let me get this straight. You three have become friends with demons?”

“Not exactly friends, but yes.” Evy answered.

“And angels are real?”

“Yes. Unfortunately for the most part, but yes.” Evy said.

“And you’ve been friends with…” John pulled a face as if eating something disgusting. “…vampires.”

“ _A_ vampire. Yes.” Dean answered.

            The way Dean answered John’s question made something snap inside Evy. Like he was a child being chastised. Dean slumped his shoulders, and looked defeated. Sam looked angry, but was biting his tongue. Evy knew it was for her benefit, because she’d told them earlier she didn’t want them to bicker. Evy could see Jody and Claire about to say something, and Claire looked like she wanted to do more than say it.

“I’ve got this, you guys.” Evy said to them.

She’d been sitting on the floor with her back against the couch, listening to the conversation. She stood up and faced John, squaring her shoulders to try and look bigger than she was. She was terrified to do it, but she wasn’t going to allow John’s bullying.

“Daddy, enough. I am thrilled you’re back, but enough. You don’t get to blame them for anything. You were gone, and all three of us did the best we could without you. Yes, we screwed up at times. But it didn’t weaken us, or get us killed. It made us stronger. And we did that. Not you, but me, Sammy, and Dean. And if you can’t appreciate that, tough. But let me make one thing clear. You are not in charge. We don’t operate that way anymore. We’re a team. We make decisions together. If you want to criticize something, you do it in a way that treats all of us like the adults we are. And if you can’t accept that, you need to leave and not come back.”

            Evy looked to Dean, the one whose reaction she was the most concerned with. He and John had been the closest of the four of them. But, to her surprise, he was nodding his head in agreement. Sam was smiling; it wasn’t often Evy got riled up enough to stand up for herself, but when it did happen, he was unbelievably proud of her. Jody, Claire, and Alex were smirking too. Evy turned back to John, who sat there with a stunned look on his face. When he finally spoke, Evy was as stunned as he was.

“You’re right. I’m sorry.”

“You’re…what?” Evy asked.

“You’re right.” John admitted. “You guys have grown up a lot. I don’t like all the decisions you made, but you are the three bravest, most heroic people I’ve ever met. And I’m proud of all of you.”

            Dean and Sam didn’t know what to say, so Evy changed the topic again. John ended up telling Jody baby stories about Evy, Sam, and Dean. It was nearly two in the morning when everyone finally went to bed. After Evy was asleep, John walked over and kissed her cheek. He felt guilty about the confrontation earlier. He hadn’t meant to criticize them, but as Bobby had put it to him once when he’d accidentally hurt Evy’s feelings by yelling at her for something minor, “What you want to come out of your mouth and what should are two different things. Watch your mouth with her, idjit.” John watched her sleep another minute or two, then whispered,

“Good night, little one. Daddy loves you.”

**Next chapter: Evy, Sam, Dean, and John head back to the bunker. Evy gets a call from an old friend at Princeton needing help.**


	3. Sunday Morning

Evy padded down the hall towards the kitchen, her stomach rumbling fiercely. She jumped when she made it to the kitchen and found someone standing there she wasn’t familiar with. She knew right away it wasn’t Sam, Dean, or Cass. Instinctively, she grabbed her side to pull her gun, only to have her father grab her shoulder and chuckle.

“Stand down.”

Evy immediately relaxed. “Sorry. I’m still getting used to this.”

“It’s okay. I like the instinct.” John said. “You want some coffee?”

“Sure. Thanks.” Evy said. “I was going to make some pancakes. You want some?”   
“Sure.”

As Evy grabbed the stuff to make the pancakes, she remarked, “You’re up early.”

“Old habits die hard.” John said. “Are your brothers still sleeping?”   
“Probably.” Evy said. “Don’t worry, they’ll smell the food and come running.”

John laughed. “I guess that hasn’t changed.” He suddenly turned more serious. “Little one, can I talk to you?”

Evy said something then that she hadn’t said in years. It came out automatically, and when she said it, John flinched. It showed him just how deep the scars that he’d caused in Evy ran. Even after almost twenty years.

“Am I in trouble?”

“No.” John said. “No, you’re not in trouble. I wanted to apologize.”   
“Apologize for what?” Evy asked.

John sat down at the counter and looked down. He’d never really been good at talking, or at least talking meaningfully. He knew that had been a huge part of the disconnect in his relationship with Evy. She had been a very emotional child, who needed lots of reassurance and patience, something John had never had an abundance of. He’d reached all these conclusions in the time that Evy had lived with Sam at Stanford, but he had allowed his obsession for revenge on the demon that killed Mary to keep him from telling her that. He’d allowed it to keep him from repairing his relationship with her. He’d talked to Sam and Dean already, and they seemed to be at least on the way to good terms now. It was time to try for three out of three.

“I’ve been thinking a lot. About what happened at Jody’s. You were right to stand up to me. I’m proud of you for doing that.”   
Evy looked down at the floor, not sure what to say.

“Little one, I’m sorry. For everything. That I was so critical of you. That I took your childhood from you when I told you about the supernatural the first time. That I never made you feel special, showed you what you meant to me. I didn’t really know how, but that wasn’t an excuse. It’s still not. Maybe I should have taken lessons from you. But no matter what, I always loved you, little one. I’m just so sorry that I made you doubt that. And I’m so proud of the person you grew up to be.”

Evy looked up again, tears streaming down her face. “Daddy…”   
“And I promise, I’ll do what you said at Jody’s. Work with you guys instead of criticizing and  bossing you around. Treat you like adults.” John reached up and wiped the tear tracks off Evy’s face. “If I start to slip, you tell me, okay?”

“Okay. I will.” Evy said.

John winked. “Good girl. Now how about those pancakes?”

“Yes, sir.” Evy said, and got back to work.

Cass suddenly appeared in the doorway. “Evy.”

John jumped. “Son of a bitch.”

Evy laughed. “You’ll get used to that.”

“My apologies.” Cass said. “Evy, I brought your car back.”

“It’s about time.” Evy said. “What took you so long?”

“I ran out of gas.” Cass explained. “I wasn’t in the best place to teleport to get more so I walked.”

“You let my car run out of gas?” Evy said, crossing her arms over her chest. “Cass, what was the last thing I said yesterday?”

            John smirked. He remembered well what Evy had said. When they had been getting ready to leave Jody’s the day before, Evy had felt guilty about taking her own car. She felt like the four of them needed to take the same car back to the bunker, to talk and get reconnected. She’d eventually called Cass and asked if he would drive her car back for her. As much as she appreciated the favor, she had warned Cass just before leaving.

“Cass, do not scratch, dent, crash, or in any other way injure my car. Understand?”

“The car is not injured.” Cass assured her. “It now has a full tank of gas. The keys are on your desk in your room.”   
Evy sighed. “Thank you, Cass. I mean that.”

“You’re welcome.” Cass said simply.

“We’re going to have some breakfast. You want to join us?” Evy asked. “I could use your help explaining something.”

“Explaining what?” John asked.

“You asked about what had happened to my leg.” Evy said.

“Little one, you don’t have to…”

“I want to.” Evy said. “If you still want to hear it.”

John nodded. “Okay.”

“Do you remember when I told you about beating that reaper when I was thirteen?”

“Yeah.” John said. “It happened then? I was still alive…”

“No.” Evy said. “But that’s where it starts.”

            Evy told him the whole story, from her encounter in the hospital with the Shtriga, to Dean going to hell to save Sam and coming back, being attacked by Lillith and her hellhound, and the nature of what it meant that she was a Sensitive. Cass helped her with that part. Even though it had been years, she still had trouble talking about it. It disturbed her sometimes that she was so different, that she had been chosen for something like that. By the time they were done talking about it, John had lapsed into silence again, just like he had in Jody’s living room.

“Daddy?” Evy asked, worried he was going to start criticizing something again. “

“Sorry. I’m just thinking about the fact that…that should have killed you.” John said.

“It normally does.” Cass said. “Very few humans survive attacks from hellhounds. The ones that do always get away with only minor bites. As far as I know, Evy is the only person to live through an attack with such grave injuries.”

“And that’s what left you with that limp?” John asked.

Evy nodded. “Yeah. I always have it, but most days it’s not even noticeable. If I’m sick or tired, it looks worse.”

“And you’ve been hunting? Even after that?” John asked.

“Yes, sir.” Evy said. “I’m a little slower than I was before that, but I can still do pretty much everything I could do before.”

“The remarkable fact is not that Evy did survive.” Cass explained. “It’s that she survived through her own choice, even though it was incredibly painful for her at the time. She could have chosen to die, go on to heaven, but she held on.” Cass looked at Evy with a familiar guilty expression. “I still regret the fact that I cannot heal her.”

“Well, something good did come out of it.” Evy said. She’d finished making breakfast and was bringing the plate to the kitchen table.

“What was that?” Cass asked.   
Evy walked over to him and kissed his cheek. “We got you.”

            Had she not known better, Evy would have sworn that Cass blushed at that. Sam and Dean came in, joining them for breakfast. After a slow, leisurely meal, Evy started to clean up, but was surprised when John insisted on doing it instead. She thanked him and headed back to her room. She was planning to show John all the photos she had taken since the last time they’d been together.

            A familiar beeping sound caught her attention. It was her cell phone. Evy remembered she’d had it when she went to sleep, so she dug around her bed for it and found it after a couple of minutes. What she saw surprised her and scared her.

_4 Missed Calls-Luke Davenport_

_2 Voicemails_

_3 Text Messages-Luke Davenport, Amy Mills_

            The first text was innocent enough. It was from Luke, sent around four hours earlier. _Call me please. I need to talk to you._ The second one was from Amy. _I need to talk to you. Call me or Luke. Please, Evy, we need your help._ The third one was from Luke, another plea for her to call him. This time he added _Please, Ev, it’s bad. Call us._

            Evy didn’t even bother listening to the voicemails. She tried Amy first, and Amy didn’t pick up. She tried Luke, who picked up after the phone rang seven long, agonizing times. Evy closed her bedroom door as she talked to him; she didn’t want Sam, Dean, or John to walk in on her.

“Luke, what’s going on?” Evy said. “I just got your messages.”

“Evy, we need you out here.” Luke said. “Can you come?”

“Yeah, I can. But will you please tell me what’s going on?”

Luke took a deep breath. “Darren’s missing.”

“What? Since when?” Evy asked. “I just talked to him a few days ago, he seemed fine.”

“He and Amy went out to a movie the night before last. He took her home around eleven that night, and nobody’s talked to him since.” Luke said.

“Oh, no.” Evy said.

“Amy’s a wreck. She’s worried sick. She keeps saying that when Luke didn’t call to check on her after he got home, she should have called him…”

“This isn’t her fault.” Evy said.

“I know. I tried to tell her that.” Luke said. “Look, Evy, I don’t know if this is anything supernatural or not. But whatever it is, it’s bad. Darren wouldn’t leave Amy behind willingly. Please, Ev, I’m begging you. Even if it’s just for moral support…”

“I’ll be there.” Evy said definitely. “I’ll pack a bag and I’ll be there as soon as I can.”

“Thank you.” Luke said. “Thank you.”

“Listen, Luke, if they’ll come with me, I’m going to bring my brothers. They’ll be able to help.” Evy said.

“It’s fine with me. I might not have a lot of room for them, though…” Luke said.

“They’ll get a room if they have to. At Marcie’s. But I’ll be there.” Evy said. “Can I talk to Amy?”

“She’s sleeping. The first time in two days.” Luke said.

“Okay. When she wakes up, tell her I’m on the way.”

“Thanks again. We’ll see you soon.”

            Evy hung up with Luke, trying to get a grip on the fear she was feeling. Darren, Amy, and Luke were the only friends she really kept in touch with from Princeton. She wanted to know and know now where he was. She felt guilty leaving on a hunt, with John having only been back for two days, but she had to do this. Evy pulled out her go back and threw a few more things in it. Once she was done with that, she went to the kitchen, where John, Sam, Dean, and Cass were sitting at the kitchen table, sipping more coffee. Dean was telling some joke that had Sam and John both laughing, which immediately ceased when Sam saw the look on Evy’s face.

“Cricket, what’s wrong?”

“I need your help. All of you.” Evy said.

“Okay. What’s up, kiddo?” Dean asked.

Evy swallowed. “I just got a call. A friend of mine from Princeton is missing. He hasn’t been heard from since the day before yesterday. He dropped his girlfriend off at her apartment and that was the last anyone saw of him.”

“Well, I’m sorry, but how do we know he’s disappeared?” John asked. “It’s only been two days.”

“I just do. He wouldn’t just disappear.” Evy said. “Please, guys. Come with me. I’m really worried. This may not even be a supernatural case, but just in case…”

“We’ll go, kiddo.” Dean answered. Evy was not one to be impulsive, and she’d done more than that for him and Sam in the past, so if she needed them, he’d go. “Give us a few minutes and we’ll pack up and go.”

“Thank you.” Evy said, relieved. “Sammy?”

“You got it, Cricket. We’ll leave in thirty.” Sam said.

“Daddy? I’m sorry, I know you just got here. If you’d rather stay here and wait for us to come back, I understand.” Evy said. “But I’d really appreciate it if you did come.”

            John felt conflicted. He only had five more days to spend with the three of them, and he really hadn’t wanted to spend it hunting. But whoever this friend was Evy was worried about clearly meant a lot to her. He could see the pain in her face, and he wanted to do anything he could to make it better for her. Besides, the thought of hunting with all three of his kids seemed too good to pass up.

“I’ll go, little one.” John said.

“Thank you. All of you. I’ll tell you about it on the way.” Evy said. “Thank you.”

“We’ll do whatever we can, Cricket.” Sam said as he got up and wrapped an arm quickly around her shoulder.

“Yeah, kiddo. We’ll meet you at Baby in thirty minutes.” Dean said.

“I will accompany you as well. If you wish.” Cass said.

“I’d love that, Cass.” Evy answered him. “It might be a little crowded in the car, though.”

“I’ll manage.”

            Evy, relieved to have everyone on board, went back to her room to call Luke and confirm she was coming. After she hung up, she flipped to a photo in her phone of the four of them. They were standing on the Princeton campus, just outside the library. Evy was on the far right, her arm up in the air. She was taking the photo. Darren stood next to her, arm around her shoulder and Amy’s, who stood next to him. Luke was on the far left, rolling his eyes. Darren was whispering something in Amy’s ear, which made Amy laugh so hard her eyes were shut tight. Evy smiled at the memory, and whispered to Darren,

“We’ll find you. No matter where you are, we’ll find you. I promise.”

**Next chapter: As they travel together, Evy tells her family about her friends and why they mean so much to her. Evy finds out some surprising news about her ex-boyfriend.**


	4. Sunday Afternoon and Sunday Night

An hour later, everyone was piled into the car, and Dean was on his way. Evy had promised all of them she’d tell them about Darren, but only once they were on the way to Princeton. Evy tried to get started, but Amy called. She calmed Amy down, promising her they were on the way. Dean was almost at the Kansas border before she hung up.

“Everything okay, Cricket?”

“Yeah. She’s just worried.” Evy said. “That was Darren’s girlfriend.”

“Who is this Darren kid?” Dean asked.

Evy sighed and leaned back against her seat. “That’s a long story.”

“Well, we’ve got…” Sam checked the clock on the dash, “…sixteen hours. Start from the beginning.”

Evy smiled. “Okay. I met him right after I broke up with Jack.”

“Jack?” John asked.

“Oh, right. You don’t know.” Evy said. “Jack was my boyfriend for all but my last semester at Princeton.”

“What happened?” John asked. “Why’d you end it?”

“He was cheating on me almost the whole time we were together.” Evy said. “I only found out when he and my roommate told me they were engaged.”

“Son of a bitch!” John said. “I hope you boys took care of him.”

“I did.” Evy said. “I knocked him down and broke his nose.” When John started to stutter, she smiled again and continued her story. “Anyway, like I was saying, I met Darren one night right after I went back to Princeton.”

_Two Years Earlier_

_Evy sat in the kitchen of her dorm, books open on the table in front of her, her mind a thousand miles away. She was missing Jack, and she hated herself for it. She was missing Casey too. The semester before, on a night like this, they both would have been here with her, pretending to help her study. Evy’s thoughts were interrupted by the sound of giggling coming down the stairs._

_“Darren, stop it! You’re gonna make me spill it!”_

_“Then you’ll just have to make more, won’t you?”_

_Evy, annoyed, huffed a little and turned back to her work. The couple started to get out some plates and bowls, before the girl noticed Evy sitting there. Her boyfriend grabbed her around the waist again, and she pushed him away gently._

_“Oh, hi. Sorry, we didn’t see you.”_

_“It’s okay.” Evy said._

_“Hey, we’ve got some soup in this pot over here. There’s way too much of it for just the two of us. You want to join us?”_

_“No thanks.” Evy said. She was hungry, but wasn’t in the mood for company._

_“I’m Amy. Amy Mills. This is Darren.”  
“Hey.” Darren said. “You sure you don’t want some?” _

_Evy’s stomach churned, and she decided she better take them up on the offer. “On second thought, maybe I should.”_

_“That’s more like it.” Darren said with a smile._

_The three of them ended up talking long into the night. Evy filled herself up on the homemade soup, and the pot was gone before they all said good night. When the clock struck one, Evy yawned._

_“I didn’t realize how tired I was. I better go to bed.”_

_“Yeah, we better go too, babe.” Darren said. “Luke’ll be wondering where we are.”_

_“Wait. You don’t live in the dorm?” Evy asked._

_“We used to.” Darren said. “But my best friend moved to town a couple months ago. He needed some roommates, and me and Amy moved in with him.”  
“So what? You just come back to visit?” _

_“No. The kitchen in the apartment feels like a shoebox. I like to cook, but I’m also claustrophobic.” Amy explained. “I’m friends with my old RA. She said we could use the kitchen if we needed it.”_

_“Cool.” Evy said. “It was nice to meet you guys.”_

_“You too.” Darren said. “Hey, if you ever want a place to hang out at off campus, you’re welcome to come over. There’s almost always someone at home.”_

_“I might do that. Thanks.” Evy said. She gathered her books and turned to leave, but turned back to them. “I needed to be cheered up tonight. Thanks, guys.”_

_“Anytime.” Darren said with a wink._

            Thinking about that first night that she, Darren, and Amy had met, Evy was smiling. She didn’t realize how much she missed them. Getting back into the thick of hunting with Sam and Dean tended to drive thoughts about her college life away. Sam, as always, seemed to read her thoughts.

“You were good friends with them, weren’t you?”

“Yeah. Yeah, I was.” Evy said. “I still am.”   
“Why haven’t you ever told us about them?” Sam asked.

Evy sighed. “I don’t know. I really don’t. They were out of town the weekend I graduated, and I’d planned to introduce you guys then. But we got so busy, and I just didn’t think about it.”

“It’s okay, kiddo.” Dean said from the front seat.

“So, what happened? Are there any leads?” Sam asked. “What was he doing when he disappeared?”

Evy suddenly felt guilty. She rarely kept secrets from Sam and Dean, but this had been one of them. She shifted in her seat and sat up straighter. She took a deep breath, and continued her story, preparing to confess.

“I started going over to their apartment almost every night. About two weeks later, I was walking to class, and I saw Darren with a girl. A girl that wasn’t Amy.” Evy said.

“Was he cheating on her?” John asked.

“That’s what I thought at first. I texted Darren to meet me after I got out of class. He did, and I confronted him.” Evy said. “He wasn’t cheating on Amy.”

“What did he say?” Dean asked.

“At first, he just said she was a friend. That Amy knew her, and knew they were together. So I bluffed, and I told Darren I’d taken a picture of them, and he shouldn’t be afraid for me to show it to Amy if she really did know.” Evy said.

“And? How did he react?” Sam asked.

“First he tried to be angry.” she said. “He accused me of meddling in his and Amy’s relationship, trying to break them up for no good reason. But I was, um, persistent.”   
Sam laughed. “I’m not surprised.”   
“I kept telling Darren to tell me who the girl was.” Evy said. “After about twenty times of threatening to tell Amy, Darren finally told me the truth.”   
“Which was?” John asked.

“He tried to have the talk with me. About monsters.” Evy said.

            Silence fell over the car like a blanket. Dean pulled over to the side of the road and turned to look at Evy. John, Sam, and Cass, who had barely said anything the entire trip, were all staring at her. It was Sam who broke the silence first.

“Darren’s a _hunter_?”

Evy nodded. “Yeah, he is.”

“How did that conversation go down?” Dean asked.

Evy laughed. “I let him talk for a few minutes before I busted out laughing. He thought I was laughing at him because I thought he was crazy. Then I told him the truth. That I was a hunter too. We had a long talk that day. He told me that Luke knew the truth, but Amy didn’t. He begged me not to tell her.”

“Did you?” Sam asked.

“I didn’t. Darren did, a few weeks after he told me. She was surprised, obviously, but I told Amy about me too hoping to make it easier to swallow.” Evy explained. “It worked. Soon all of us knew, and we’ve s stayed friends ever since.” Evy turned to Sam and apologized. “Sorry, Sammy. I know I told you I didn’t hunt while I was at Princeton. I didn’t, much, but I did help Darren a couple times.”

Sam nodded. “It’s okay, Cricket. We weren’t exactly going through the easiest time back then.”

Evy smiled. “Thanks.” she said, grateful for his understanding.

“What happened when Darren went missing?” John asked.

“Amy eventually got her own apartment. She and Darren were fighting, and she needed her own space. They made up, but she kept the apartment. Luke said they went out to the movies Friday ngiht. Darren took Amy home, and promised to call her when he got home. That was the last time anyone heard from him.” Evy said. No one spoke, so Evy asked again. “I know that this may not be supernatural, guys. But I need to find him.”

“We will, Cricket.” Sam said from the first seat.

“Yeah, kiddo. We’ll find him.” Dean promised.

Evy started to thank them, but her phone beeped again. She checked it to find a text message from Luke, wanting to know when they’d arrive. They were still over fifteen hours away, so Evy told him that she’d be there by the next afternoon at the latest. Dean drove a little more, before they found a diner to stop at for dinner. Evy stepped outside to call and check on Amy. When she came back inside, she had a huge grin on her face.

“Why are you so happy?” Sam asked.

“I ran into Jack outside.” Evy said.

“Jack? Your boyfriend Jack?” Dean asked.

“Yep.” Evy answered.

“And?” Sam asked. “You didn’t punch him again, did you?”

“Nope. Didn’t have to.” Evy said as she took a sip of her water. “They’re divorced.”

“What?” Sam asked.

“Yep. Apparently cheating on me with Casey wasn’t enough for him. Casey found out and left him a week after they got married.” Evy said.

“He told you that?” Sam asked.

“Nope. He just told me that they didn’t work out. I called Luke and asked him if he knew what happened. Luke’s the one who told me.” Evy said, barely containing herself.

“Maybe it’s a good thing it didn’t work out between you two, then.” John said. “I just wish you had brought him inside to meet us.”

“I second that.” Dean answered.

“Trust me, I did better.” Evy said. “I texted Luke while I talked to Jack. I got him to call and pretend to be my husband.”

“So devious.” Dean remarked. “I like it.”   
“Thanks.” Evy said. She was quiet a minute, then said to no one in particular, “I needed that distraction.”

John, who was sitting next to Evy, grabbed her shoulder. “We’ll find him, little one. We’ll find your friend.”

“Thanks, daddy.” Evy said.

“But first, we need to eat.” John said.

Just then, their plates arrived. John had ordered for her. When she saw the broccoli on her plate, Evy scrunched her nose. There was very little in the world she didn’t like to eat, but broccoli was a definite ‘no’ on her list.   
“Sammy, you sure this isn’t for you?” she asked.

Sam smiled. “Nope. It’s all yours, Cricket.”   
“Eat your vegetables, little one.” John said.

“What happened to treating us like adults?” Evy asked.

“When it comes to hunting.” John said. “Eat up.”

John didn’t think it was possible, but Evy’s frown deepened. “But daddy…”

“Eat.” John prodded gently.

“Yes, sir.” Evy said. She forced herself to eat one piece of broccoli, and her family burst into laughter. “What…?”

Sam was the first to speak, though Evy barely understood him through his laughter. “We made a bet with Dad. That he couldn’t get you to eat broccoli.”

Evy pretended to be offended. “And what exactly do you get if you win?” Evy asked John.

“The look on your face was enough.” John said.

He leaned over and kissed her cheek, making Evy stop and stare at him. Unsolicited displays of affection from him were incredibly rare. John seemed to pick up on why she was so surprised, but said nothing. Evy looked back at her plate.

“So do I have to eat it?” she asked.

“No.” John answered. “Here, I’ll trade you. My mashed potatoes for your broccoli.”

“Deal.” Evy agreed, and they switched plates.

            The rest of the meal was spent talking about Darren and discussing ideas about his disappearance. They stopped at a motel late that night, a little more than halfway to their destination. Dean and John shared one bed, Sam slept on the other, and Evy took the small couch in the room. As she laid in bed that night, she pulled up the photo again that she’d been looking at that morning.   
“We’ll find you, Darren.” Evy promised. “We’ll find you.”

**Next Chapter: Evy arrives back at Princeton.**

 


	5. Monday Morning

An hour later, everyone was piled into the car, and Dean was on his way. Evy had promised all of them she’d tell them about Darren, but only once they were on the way to Princeton. Evy tried to get started, but Amy called. She calmed Amy down, promising her they were on the way. Dean was almost at the Kansas border before she hung up.

“Everything okay, Cricket?”

“Yeah. She’s just worried.” Evy said. “That was Darren’s girlfriend.”

“Who is this Darren kid?” Dean asked.

Evy sighed and leaned back against her seat. “That’s a long story.”

“Well, we’ve got…” Sam checked the clock on the dash, “…sixteen hours. Start from the beginning.”

Evy smiled. “Okay. I met him right after I broke up with Jack.”

“Jack?” John asked.

“Oh, right. You don’t know.” Evy said. “Jack was my boyfriend for all but my last semester at Princeton.”

“What happened?” John asked. “Why’d you end it?”

“He was cheating on me almost the whole time we were together.” Evy said. “I only found out when he and my roommate told me they were engaged.”

“Son of a bitch!” John said. “I hope you boys took care of him.”

“I did.” Evy said. “I knocked him down and broke his nose.” When John started to stutter, she smiled again and continued her story. “Anyway, like I was saying, I met Darren one night right after I went back to Princeton.”

_Two Years Earlier_

_Evy sat in the kitchen of her dorm, books open on the table in front of her, her mind a thousand miles away. She was missing Jack, and she hated herself for it. She was missing Casey too. The semester before, on a night like this, they both would have been here with her, pretending to help her study. Evy’s thoughts were interrupted by the sound of giggling coming down the stairs._

_“Darren, stop it! You’re gonna make me spill it!”_

_“Then you’ll just have to make more, won’t you?”_

_Evy, annoyed, huffed a little and turned back to her work. The couple started to get out some plates and bowls, before the girl noticed Evy sitting there. Her boyfriend grabbed her around the waist again, and she pushed him away gently._

_“Oh, hi. Sorry, we didn’t see you.”_

_“It’s okay.” Evy said._

_“Hey, we’ve got some soup in this pot over here. There’s way too much of it for just the two of us. You want to join us?”_

_“No thanks.” Evy said. She was hungry, but wasn’t in the mood for company._

_“I’m Amy. Amy Mills. This is Darren.”  
“Hey.” Darren said. “You sure you don’t want some?” _

_Evy’s stomach churned, and she decided she better take them up on the offer. “On second thought, maybe I should.”_

_“That’s more like it.” Darren said with a smile._

_The three of them ended up talking long into the night. Evy filled herself up on the homemade soup, and the pot was gone before they all said good night. When the clock struck one, Evy yawned._

_“I didn’t realize how tired I was. I better go to bed.”_

_“Yeah, we better go too, babe.” Darren said. “Luke’ll be wondering where we are.”_

_“Wait. You don’t live in the dorm?” Evy asked._

_“We used to.” Darren said. “But my best friend moved to town a couple months ago. He needed some roommates, and me and Amy moved in with him.”  
“So what? You just come back to visit?” _

_“No. The kitchen in the apartment feels like a shoebox. I like to cook, but I’m also claustrophobic.” Amy explained. “I’m friends with my old RA. She said we could use the kitchen if we needed it.”_

_“Cool.” Evy said. “It was nice to meet you guys.”_

_“You too.” Darren said. “Hey, if you ever want a place to hang out at off campus, you’re welcome to come over. There’s almost always someone at home.”_

_“I might do that. Thanks.” Evy said. She gathered her books and turned to leave, but turned back to them. “I needed to be cheered up tonight. Thanks, guys.”_

_“Anytime.” Darren said with a wink._

            Thinking about that first night that she, Darren, and Amy had met, Evy was smiling. She didn’t realize how much she missed them. Getting back into the thick of hunting with Sam and Dean tended to drive thoughts about her college life away. Sam, as always, seemed to read her thoughts.

“You were good friends with them, weren’t you?”

“Yeah. Yeah, I was.” Evy said. “I still am.”   
“Why haven’t you ever told us about them?” Sam asked.

Evy sighed. “I don’t know. I really don’t. They were out of town the weekend I graduated, and I’d planned to introduce you guys then. But we got so busy, and I just didn’t think about it.”

“It’s okay, kiddo.” Dean said from the front seat.

“So, what happened? Are there any leads?” Sam asked. “What was he doing when he disappeared?”

Evy suddenly felt guilty. She rarely kept secrets from Sam and Dean, but this had been one of them. She shifted in her seat and sat up straighter. She took a deep breath, and continued her story, preparing to confess.

“I started going over to their apartment almost every night. About two weeks later, I was walking to class, and I saw Darren with a girl. A girl that wasn’t Amy.” Evy said.

“Was he cheating on her?” John asked.

“That’s what I thought at first. I texted Darren to meet me after I got out of class. He did, and I confronted him.” Evy said. “He wasn’t cheating on Amy.”

“What did he say?” Dean asked.

“At first, he just said she was a friend. That Amy knew her, and knew they were together. So I bluffed, and I told Darren I’d taken a picture of them, and he shouldn’t be afraid for me to show it to Amy if she really did know.” Evy said.

“And? How did he react?” Sam asked.

“First he tried to be angry.” she said. “He accused me of meddling in his and Amy’s relationship, trying to break them up for no good reason. But I was, um, persistent.”   
Sam laughed. “I’m not surprised.”   
“I kept telling Darren to tell me who the girl was.” Evy said. “After about twenty times of threatening to tell Amy, Darren finally told me the truth.”   
“Which was?” John asked.

“He tried to have the talk with me. About monsters.” Evy said.

            Silence fell over the car like a blanket. Dean pulled over to the side of the road and turned to look at Evy. John, Sam, and Cass, who had barely said anything the entire trip, were all staring at her. It was Sam who broke the silence first.

“Darren’s a _hunter_?”

Evy nodded. “Yeah, he is.”

“How did that conversation go down?” Dean asked.

Evy laughed. “I let him talk for a few minutes before I busted out laughing. He thought I was laughing at him because I thought he was crazy. Then I told him the truth. That I was a hunter too. We had a long talk that day. He told me that Luke knew the truth, but Amy didn’t. He begged me not to tell her.”

“Did you?” Sam asked.

“I didn’t. Darren did, a few weeks after he told me. She was surprised, obviously, but I told Amy about me too hoping to make it easier to swallow.” Evy explained. “It worked. Soon all of us knew, and we’ve s stayed friends ever since.” Evy turned to Sam and apologized. “Sorry, Sammy. I know I told you I didn’t hunt while I was at Princeton. I didn’t, much, but I did help Darren a couple times.”

Sam nodded. “It’s okay, Cricket. We weren’t exactly going through the easiest time back then.”

Evy smiled. “Thanks.” she said, grateful for his understanding.

“What happened when Darren went missing?” John asked.

“Amy eventually got her own apartment. She and Darren were fighting, and she needed her own space. They made up, but she kept the apartment. Luke said they went out to the movies Friday ngiht. Darren took Amy home, and promised to call her when he got home. That was the last time anyone heard from him.” Evy said. No one spoke, so Evy asked again. “I know that this may not be supernatural, guys. But I need to find him.”

“We will, Cricket.” Sam said from the first seat.

“Yeah, kiddo. We’ll find him.” Dean promised.

Evy started to thank them, but her phone beeped again. She checked it to find a text message from Luke, wanting to know when they’d arrive. They were still over fifteen hours away, so Evy told him that she’d be there by the next afternoon at the latest. Dean drove a little more, before they found a diner to stop at for dinner. Evy stepped outside to call and check on Amy. When she came back inside, she had a huge grin on her face.

“Why are you so happy?” Sam asked.

“I ran into Jack outside.” Evy said.

“Jack? Your boyfriend Jack?” Dean asked.

“Yep.” Evy answered.

“And?” Sam asked. “You didn’t punch him again, did you?”

“Nope. Didn’t have to.” Evy said as she took a sip of her water. “They’re divorced.”

“What?” Sam asked.

“Yep. Apparently cheating on me with Casey wasn’t enough for him. Casey found out and left him a week after they got married.” Evy said.

“He told you that?” Sam asked.

“Nope. He just told me that they didn’t work out. I called Luke and asked him if he knew what happened. Luke’s the one who told me.” Evy said, barely containing herself.

“Maybe it’s a good thing it didn’t work out between you two, then.” John said. “I just wish you had brought him inside to meet us.”

“I second that.” Dean answered.

“Trust me, I did better.” Evy said. “I texted Luke while I talked to Jack. I got him to call and pretend to be my husband.”

“So devious.” Dean remarked. “I like it.”   
“Thanks.” Evy said. She was quiet a minute, then said to no one in particular, “I needed that distraction.”

John, who was sitting next to Evy, grabbed her shoulder. “We’ll find him, little one. We’ll find your friend.”

“Thanks, daddy.” Evy said.

“But first, we need to eat.” John said.

Just then, their plates arrived. John had ordered for her. When she saw the broccoli on her plate, Evy scrunched her nose. There was very little in the world she didn’t like to eat, but broccoli was a definite ‘no’ on her list.   
“Sammy, you sure this isn’t for you?” she asked.

Sam smiled. “Nope. It’s all yours, Cricket.”   
“Eat your vegetables, little one.” John said.

“What happened to treating us like adults?” Evy asked.

“When it comes to hunting.” John said. “Eat up.”

John didn’t think it was possible, but Evy’s frown deepened. “But daddy…”

“Eat.” John prodded gently.

“Yes, sir.” Evy said. She forced herself to eat one piece of broccoli, and her family burst into laughter. “What…?”

Sam was the first to speak, though Evy barely understood him through his laughter. “We made a bet with Dad. That he couldn’t get you to eat broccoli.”

Evy pretended to be offended. “And what exactly do you get if you win?” Evy asked John.

“The look on your face was enough.” John said.

He leaned over and kissed her cheek, making Evy stop and stare at him. Unsolicited displays of affection from him were incredibly rare. John seemed to pick up on why she was so surprised, but said nothing. Evy looked back at her plate.

“So do I have to eat it?” she asked.

“No.” John answered. “Here, I’ll trade you. My mashed potatoes for your broccoli.”

“Deal.” Evy agreed, and they switched plates.

            The rest of the meal was spent talking about Darren and discussing ideas about his disappearance. They stopped at a motel late that night, a little more than halfway to their destination. Dean and John shared one bed, Sam slept on the other, and Evy took the small couch in the room. As she laid in bed that night, she pulled up the photo again that she’d been looking at that morning.   
“We’ll find you, Darren.” Evy promised. “We’ll find you.”

**Next Chapter: Evy arrives back at Princeton.**

 


	6. Wednesday Afternoon

They had been in town for two full days, and Evy was beyond frustrated. They’d found nothing. There was no sign of Darren anywhere. They’d asked around, looked at as much security camera and traffic cam footage as they could, checked any place that Darren might have gone, and checked all the hospitals within the area twice. There was just no evidence that Darren had been taken by anything supernatural. Amy insisted that the four of them stay with her and Luke, despite how crowded the apartment was. When Evy’s latest idea didn’t pan out, she joined the rest of the family in the car, slamming the door behind her. Dean frowned, but didn’t say anything.

“Nothing, Cricket?” Sam asked.

“No.” Evy said. “I just don’t get it. Where could he be?”

“I don’t know, little one.” John said. “This one’s got me stumped too.”

“Great.” Evy said. “Now there’s no way we’ll ever figure it out.”

John started to comfort her, assure her that they’d find Darren, but he saw her smiling at him. It took John a few seconds to realize she’d given him a compliment. Before he could answer, Evy’s phone rang.

“Luke. What’s going on?”

“Hey. Listen, I might have a lead on Darren.” Luke said.

“Really? Okay, hold on. Let me put you on speaker.” Evy pressed the speaker button and turned so everyone could hear better. “What’s going on, Luke?”

“I got a call from Princeton-Plainsboro a few minutes ago. They got a John Doe in the night before last. He had amnesia for some reason and they couldn’t figure out why.” Luke said.

“What makes you think it’s Darren?” Evy asked.

“He’d lost his wallet when they found him. Someone turned it in to the hospital. They looked up his information and found me as his emergency contact.” Luke explained.

“Okay. Do you guys want to meet us there?”

“No. Will you go and pick him up? Bring him home? I don’t want to take Amy in case she was right about why he left.” Luke said.

“Yeah. We’ll go.” Evy said. “I’ll call you after we get there and let you know.”  
“Thanks.”

            The journey to Princeton-Plainsboro was a long one, and it was made mostly in silence. Evy gave Dean directions, thinking about what she might be facing. If it really was Darren, it meant that he hadn’t run out on Amy, but he was sick and needed their help. If it wasn’t Darren, it meant that he was still missing. Either way, Evy felt helpless as to what to do. She called Cass to meet her at the hospital, so he could evaluate Darren’s condition and possibly heal him. When they pulled up to the hospital, Evy asked her family to let her go in alone.

“It’s going to be hard enough for him to deal with one person he doesn’t know. Just give me a few minutes.”

            John, Sam, and Dean waited in the car. Fifteen minutes later, Darren and Evy were walking towards the car. Evy opened the door to the backseat. Cass was gone. Darren climbed in and started to say hello to Evy’s family, before a loud crack rang out through the car. Sam and Dean turned quickly to find Darren holding a hand to his face, and blood trickling down his nose. Evy had punched him.

“I ought to kick your ass from here to Kansas and back again.”

“Cricket, what…?” Sam asked.

“He was faking the memory loss.” Evy explained, without taking her eyes off Darren.

“No, I wasn’t.”

“That guy that I had with me, he’s an angel. He told me you were faking.” Evy said.

“I wasn’t.” Darren insisted. “Not at first.”

“What the hell are you talking about?” Evy asked.

“Can I have something to stop the bleeding? I promise I’ll explain.” Darren asked.

Reluctantly, Evy handed him a cloth they kept in the first aid kit. “Start talking.”

Darren pressed the cloth to his nose. “After I dropped Amy off, I got mugged. The guy pistol whipped me and knocked me out. I did wake up and couldn’t remember who I was.”

“So when did you gain your memory back?”

“Yesterday.” Darren answered.

“WHAT THE HELL?” Evy shouted, in a burst of temper so rare it shocked everyone in the car. “Do you have any idea what we’ve been doing? We’ve been looking for you all over town! If it weren’t for your kid, I’d shoot you right now.”

“That’s why I didn’t tell anyone when I got my memory back.” Darren said.

“Excuse me?” Evy said.   
“I was trying to buy time. I was going to leave the hospital and go somewhere Amy couldn’t find me.”

“Why?” Evy asked.

“Because I can’t be a hunter and a father.” Darren said. “Amy told me I couldn’t see the kid if I kept hunting.”

“You are such a stupid son of a bitch.” Evy said.

“What?” Darren asked, looking up at Evy for the first time.

“The solution here is simple.” Evy said. “Stop hunting.”

“You say that like it’s easy.”

“No, it’s not. But you have to be there for your kid.” Evy said. “Your kid’s more important than the hunt.”

“You’re a hunter too. I thought you’d understand this more.” Darren said.

“Understand what?” Evy said. “Leaving your child?”

“It’s for his own good. Why can’t you get that?”

“BECAUSE I NEEDED YOU!” Evy said.

            The entire car fell silent. Evy put a hand to her mouth and turned away from Darren, the enormity of what she had just said not failing to fall on her. John realized that she had really been talking to him, not Darren, and he was overwhelmed by a sense of guilt that threatened to eat him alive. Sam and Dean also realized her long buried feelings towards John were coming out, and they weren’t sure how to respond, or even whether to respond right then. John finally filled the silence.   
“Listen, son.” he said, turning Darren towards him. “I’m Evy’s father. I’m sure she’s probably told you about me.”

“Yes, sir.” Darren said, reaching over to shake John’s hand. “You’re quite the legend. Good to meet you.”

“I appreciate the compliment, but let me give you some advice. I didn’t give up my kids to hunt. Maybe I should have. Their lives would have been a lot better if I had. But trust me when I say, you’ll regret it if you keep hunting. Saving people and hunting things mean nothing when the ones you love are suffering because of the choices that you make. Now, do you love Amy?” John asked.

“Yes, sir. More than anything.” Darren said.

“Does the idea of spending the rest of your life with her scare you?” John asked.

“A little.” Darren answered honestly. “But I can’t imagine not doing it.”

“Then decide. Now. What’s more important; hunting or your family?”

“But what if people die because of me quitting?” Darren asked.

“There will always be hunters, son.” John explained. “When one drops out, the others will pick up the slack. But trust me here. You gain a thousand times more respect in the hunter community when you give it up to raise a family than you do if you kill a thousand vampires. It’s more courageous to put this behind you than to keep killing evil stuff.”

Darren nodded, taking John’s advice to heart. “Will you guys take me home?”

“You bet.” Dean finally spoke for the first time, then offered Darren his hand. “Dean Winchester.”   
“Sam.” Sam shook his hand right after Dean.

“You’re the one that raised Evy.” Darren said, without thinking.  John tensed up beside him. “Sorry.”   
“No, it’s okay. You’re right.” John said. “He did raise Evy. And he did a damn good job of it.”   
            They drove back towards the apartment, and reunited Darren with Amy. Evy didn’t speak until they were in a motel room that night. Sam and Dean were on a supply run, and had insisted on Evy staying behind. When they could hear the Impala driving away, John turned to Evy, who was sitting on the edge of the bed looking down to the floor. John joined her, but Evy seemed afraid to say anything.

“Are we going to talk about it?” he asked.

“Do we have to?” Evy asked him.

“No.” John answered. When Evy looked up in surprise, John added, “But I think we should.”   
Evy sighed. “Daddy, I’m sorry.”

“Sorry for what?”

“You’re trying so hard to change, and I keep bringing up the past.” Evy said.

“Well, I can’t change completely if I don’t know how you’re feeling.” John explained. “That’s been eating at you for a while, hasn’t it?”   
“I thought I was okay with it. But watching you help us this week…” Evy said, wiping away a tear, “…I just wish it could have been like that before.”

“I do too.” John said sincerely, placing an arm around her shoulder. “I really do. I wish I had never started hunting. I wish I had given you the childhood you deserved. You and your brothers. All three of you deserve the world, and I didn’t even give you a halfway decent father.”

“You tried, Daddy.” Evy said, though in her heart she didn’t really feel like he had.

“That’s sweet of you to say, but I could have done a hell of a lot better. I should have. I should have found a way to give you guys a life without dragging you into mine. But I thought I could keep you guys safest if I kept you with me. It’s like I told Sam once. I was so focused on keeping you guys safe and alive, that I stopped being your father. I know you needed me. And I was never there for you. I see that now, and baby, I’m so, so sorry. All I can do is ask you to forgive me and ask you if we can move on from here.”

John wiped her cheek, where a few more tears had fallen as he talked. Evy grabbed him around the waist and squeezed him tightly. John felt guilty asking her if they could move on. His time was running out. He only had one more day. But he couldn’t tell Evy that. So he just held her, waiting on her response to his heartfelt apology.

“Of course I forgive you, daddy.” Evy said. “I love you.”   
“I love you too, baby.”

The door opened and in stepped Sam and Dean with dinner. “We all good?” Dean asked.

Evy and John looked at each other; both smiled and nodded. “All good.” They said together.

“Good.” Sam remarked. “I’m starving.”   
“Me too.” Evy said, walking over to see what they got for dinner. “Ooo, Chinese. Yum.” She opened one of the containers and made a face. “Very funny, guys.”

“What is it?” John asked. He looked over her shoulder to see a container of steamed broccoli. “Come on, little one. One piece.”

“No.” Evy said firmly.

“You know, you’re not too old for me to make you stand in the corner.” John joked with a wink.

Evy opened the next container and said, “I’ll eat one piece of the broccoli if you eat this.”  
“Eat what?”

Evy showed him a container of white rice, one of the few foods _he_ didn’t eat.

“You win.” John said.

Evy laughed and hugged and kissed his cheek again. “Love you, Daddy. I’m glad you’re back.”

“I love you too, little one.” John said. “Come on. Let’s eat.”

**A/N: So, I’m a little torn about this chapter. I thought about including more of the actual hunt for Darren, but I cut that out in favor of Evy facing her feelings towards John. There’s one more chapter coming.**

 


	7. Friday Morning

Evy padded down towards the kitchen, surprised not to find John there. She poured herself a little coffee, then decided to bring the cup to him. Most of Wednesday night and Thursday had been spent getting back to the bunker. Everyone seemed to be in a much improved mood. There was more laughter in the car that trip than Evy remembered there ever being between the four of them. They’d gotten back to the bunker Thursday afternoon, and despite being tired, they all stayed up late into the night, talking. Evy made it to John’s door and knocked softly, on the off chance that he was still sleeping. The door opened and Evy was surprised to find Sam there instead of John.

“Hey…” Evy said, looking around the room. “Where’s Daddy?”

“He’s gone, Cricket.” Sam said, stepping away so Evy could come inside.

“What?” Evy asked, walking inside. She put the coffee cup on the desk in the room and walked over to Dean, who was sitting on the desk.

“He left this for you.” Dean said. He handed her a thick envelope.

            Evy said nothing, just opened it and found two letters inside. One was marked ‘read this one first’ so Evy opened it up. Her eyes filled with hurt, anger, and profound disappointment making their way down her face in the form of tears.

_Little One,_

_I know you know by now that I’ve left. I’m sorry I didn’t say goodbye, but that just would have made it harder to leave. I made a deal with an old angel friend of yours this week. He said you’d know him as Gabriel. He met me in heaven, and when he realized who I was, he ripped me a new one. Apparently, you and your brothers made a big impression on him, and he wanted to do something for you guys. But the deal was this-he gave me a week to spend with you guys, but I couldn’t tell you that I only had a week, or he would have ended it right there. So that’s the reason I didn’t tell you I was leaving. I wanted more time with you, even if it was only a few hours._

_There’s another letter in here. I wrote it a few months after you left to go live with Sam at Stanford. I thought about it when we had our talk in the motel room the night before last. It explains why I did some of the things I did. I hope it helps you see that I never, ever wanted to hurt you. Like you said, I thought I was doing the best I could. I see now that I wasn’t, but I didn’t see it then. I’m sorry again, little one. I’ll never, ever stop being sorry for the way I treated you. But I will also never stop loving you, little one. Please don’t doubt that._

_Much Love,_

_Daddy_

Tears streaming, Evy opened the second letter. Dean had a hand on her back, but she ignored him. The next letter made her cry even more.

_When I woke up this morning, for a split second, I went to check on you. I had stepped out of the bed before I realized that you weren’t there. My heart shattered again, but after taking a minute to collect my emotions, I walked out into the kitchen. Dean was there, eating some breakfast, which he offered to me. I say a silent prayer of thanks that Dean doesn’t bug me again about calling you. I told him seventeen months earlier, a month after you left with your brother to start a new life, that I wasn’t angry with you anymore. I don’t think he believes me, but at least he’s stopped asking._

_The truth is, little one, I was never angry with you about leaving. I know, because of how I reacted that day, that you may not believe that. But I wasn’t angry, little one. Did it hurt me to let you go? Absolutely. It hurt me more than anything else in the world. But it hurt me because I knew it was my own fault. It was my own fault you were pulling away from me and it was too late to do anything about it. I saw the writing on the wall years earlier, the night I told you the truth about the supernatural. We had never exactly been close, but after that night, everything fell apart. I don’t think it was on purpose, but you never sought me out again for a hug, or for comfort, or attention. You would go to Sam most often or maybe Dean. And I couldn’t blame you._

_Little one, I am so sorry. Sorry that I never told you that you that you meant the world to me. Sorry that I got so wrapped up in hunting that I shoved you to the side. Sorry for every time that I ever hurt you. I still remember the devastated look on your face when I left Squish behind. I heard you crying later that night, and I wanted to comfort you, but I was afraid you wouldn’t accept it. And I couldn’t risk having to see you outright reject me._

_Which was the reason that I handled it so badly when you finally did ask me to go live with Sam. When I sent you to your room after you asked me, I didn’t do that because I was angry at you. I was angry at myself. I wanted to take a few minutes to think about what you were asking, but I was thinking at that point of letting you go. Thankfully, Sam stood up to me and made sure that I did. I’ll most likely never admit this to him, but I’m glad that he did.  If he hadn’t, I might have backed out because of pure selfishness. I also saw that look on your face when I pushed you aside as I was leaving. I didn’t do that to hurt you, honey, although I know it did. I did it so you wouldn’t see the tears that were starting in my own eyes. I was afraid if you did see them you would change your mind._

_What you don’t know is what I spent that hour away from the house doing. I spent it in the pickup crying. I pulled over to the side of an abandoned road and bawled my eyes out. I felt like a complete failure. I had lost Mary, your mom, then Sam, and now, finally, you. I was, and still am, heartbroken. I know it doesn’t feel like it at times, sweetie, but I do love you. I love you so much. There’s times I can’t believe that I’m lucky enough to call you my kid. You’re so sweet, kind, and loving. You remind me a lot of your mom. I wish you could’ve known her. Things would have been different if she had lived. Better. The year that your mom was in my life, and in the lives of your brothers, was the happiest one we’d had since Mary had died._

_But things are better for you. I know you don’t know, but I’ve been by to see you and Sam. I’m on my way down there now. I told Dean I was taking a hunt by myself for a few days, but I didn’t. I’ve been by to see you a few times. I didn’t approach you, just watched you and Sam. I’ve never seen you smile so much. I’ve seen you and Sam a few times with a girl. I haven’t caught her name, but she’s obviously Sam’s girlfriend. You and her seem to be very close. I hope all of you are happy and stay happy. I’m glad you both have people in your life._

_I’m gonna go now, sweetheart. I don’t really know what made me write this letter to you, especially since I doubt you’ll ever read it. But I hope you realize one day how much I truly, truly love you. Goodbye, baby._

_Much Love,_

_Daddy_

            Evy read the second letter through again, then read it a third time. She had never thought that all the insensitive and hurtful things John had done to her-getting angry when she left to go live with Sam, pushing her aside when she tried to hug him that night, not talking to them-had happened because John was hurt too. She had a hard time picturing her father pulled off to the side of the road crying his eyes out. But that was exactly what she’d needed to hear. She didn’t regret leaving to live with Sammy. If she had stayed with John, she would have slipped into a depression that she may not ever have come out of. But she had no doubt now. Her daddy did love her, and he always had. He had just lost his way, and didn’t know how to show it.

“Cricket?” Sam asked cautiously. “Are you okay?”

Evy took a long look at both of them before she answered. “Yeah. I’m okay.”

“Really?” Sam asked. “Are you mad Dad left?”

“No.” She said. “Did he tell you guys about the deal?”

“He left both of us a note. Asked us to make sure you got your letter.” Dean explained.

“He left you a second one.” Sam said. “Will you tell us what it says?”

“Read it.” Evy said, handing it to him.

Sam read it out loud for Dean’s benefit, but Evy wasn’t paying attention. As he read, Evy clutched the first letter in her hand, rereading the line over and over _Much love, Daddy._ Evy leaned against Dean’s shoulder, and could have sworn she felt another hand on her back. _I love you, Daddy. Goodbye._ , she thought. The invisible hand on her back patted her twice, then left. Sam finished the second letter, and asked her again.

“Cricket?”

“I’m fine, Sammy.” Evy assured him. “I really am. Let’s go save some people.”


End file.
